Re: Best Screenplay 1991
Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 5:46 am
For Best Original Screenplay, I'll cite Defending Your Life as the big miss, a spiritual sister to Groundhog Day that seemingly didn't quite catch on. It's been some time since I've seen many of these films. I would imagine that The Fisher King reads better as a script than it plays on the screen. It's such a wacky, romantic, rich story. Likewise, James Toback's writing in Bugsy is sharp and witty in ways that Barry Levinson and Warren Beatty seem to at times fear so they veer into melodrama. I'll go with Thelma & Louise which has its flaws but was a galvanizing vision and a strong road movie.
I'm not sure anybody's mentioned it yet but Linda Woolverton's screenplay for Beauty and the Beast is a high water mark for animated films. It's witty yet kind, it's romantic yet aware. Those who decry it as a dated case of Stockholm Syndrome forget that Belle is brave and willingly lets herself be taken in place of her Father and her captor has no idea what to do with her. This is a smart, funny, and charming choice (one of many) that's helped the film stay fresh in ways that the rest of the Disney Animated Renaissance has not. Honoring JFK's screenplay feels a bit like honoring a research paper. No matter how much I like the film, it doesn't feel right when there are thin passages like Garrison's meeting with Mr. X (a fucking actual Mr. X!) admittedly carried out with great expertise. Give it then to Ted Tally's adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs. If the final showdown between Clarice and Buffalo Bill isn't quite as exciting as what's come beforehand, it's still a strong, gripping film of good writing. My one lingering doubt is I wish I had seen Europa Europa again before casting my vote.
I'm not sure anybody's mentioned it yet but Linda Woolverton's screenplay for Beauty and the Beast is a high water mark for animated films. It's witty yet kind, it's romantic yet aware. Those who decry it as a dated case of Stockholm Syndrome forget that Belle is brave and willingly lets herself be taken in place of her Father and her captor has no idea what to do with her. This is a smart, funny, and charming choice (one of many) that's helped the film stay fresh in ways that the rest of the Disney Animated Renaissance has not. Honoring JFK's screenplay feels a bit like honoring a research paper. No matter how much I like the film, it doesn't feel right when there are thin passages like Garrison's meeting with Mr. X (a fucking actual Mr. X!) admittedly carried out with great expertise. Give it then to Ted Tally's adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs. If the final showdown between Clarice and Buffalo Bill isn't quite as exciting as what's come beforehand, it's still a strong, gripping film of good writing. My one lingering doubt is I wish I had seen Europa Europa again before casting my vote.